Change is on the Horizon

* Very long post alert *

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Where is My Heart?

I've thought about this long and hard lately.

And I've had to answer some tough questions for myself.

My life is changing before my eyes. Forced changes so to speak.

I never thought that taking a new job would catapult me into deep thinking and decision making like it has, but alas, it has.

What I want to do and what I know I need to do have finally met at the crossroads.

You see, I took a job that is 2 hours away from my house.

Obviously, making that drive is not feasible on a daily basis.

My mother lives 1 hour from where I work, so to make a shorter commute, I stay at her house

while I'm working. And then I go home to my actual house about one day every two weeks.

I love the job, so I make the sacrifice.

I didn't anticipate working so many long hours every single day, so even finding time to look for a house close to work just hasn't happened yet. My catch 22 is that when I have a day off, I need to go pack my house in KY, but I really need to be looking for a place to live in TN.

The reality is, I've been working 80 hours a week since I started, so when I do have a day off, my body wants to rest - not pack, not look for a house.

(on the plus side, I've lost 24 pounds in the last 10 weeks!)

So, what does that have to do with figuring out where my heart really is?

I'll tell ya.

When do we think the most? When we're alone and everything around us is quite.

I have two hours of that everyday, driving to and from work.

Here's what I've realized..........

1. I miss being in my own home, but I don't really need it.

2. I miss having my things around me, but it doesn't bother me to think about putting them in storage for a while.

3. When I have any free time, I want rest for my body. If I have the option to blog/read blogs,

or just fall into bed, say my prayers, and go to sleep, I choose the latter.

4. If I go into work late in the mornings, I'd rather make time for coffee with my mom than get on the computer and take time away from others.

5. When my husband isn't traveling, and he's not working at the office, he has to come to the town I work in and get a hotel so we can see each other. Usually, I make it to the room around 11pm, and then I'm back out around 6 or 7am. It's not fair to him. It's not fair to us.

God bless him though - he understands that I have to do what I have to do right now.

6. I hate to even admit this, but I find that I miss communicating with all of you, but I'm not missing my own blog. Is that bad? Am I just too busy to care?

Decorating is the farthest thing from my mind right now. And that's what I'm supposed to be blogging about, right? To be very honest with all of you, my heart just isn't there. Maybe it's because I'm so busy, maybe I'm simply too tired. Either way, it's not a priority for me anymore.

Let me make this clear - blogging about decorating isn't where my heart is.

You'll understand in a minute.

For a while now I've had some changes weighing on me. About my life,  my blog, my etsy shops, and about doing flea markets.

As for my life, hubby and I have decided that the easiest way to fix our living situation temporarily is to put all our things in storage and move into an extended stay hotel while we look for a place close to my work. This will at least put me within a few miles of my store and immediately eliminate the hour drive each way to work. He will still drive the same distance to work.

As for my blog, here's the realization I've had, which began months ago.

I've thought about what makes me passionate about writing, and what topics  I rush to write about vs the ones I let stew for a while.

I think you will all agree that my most heartfelt posts are about the needs of others, and spiritual experiences I've had myself.

When I write about someone in need, request prayer, ask you to lift someone up, or tell you what prayer has done for me, I get really passionate. I believe in the power of prayer and the miracles they can bring forth, and I believe that when good things happen in my own life, it is my duty to spread my faith.

My personal prayer list has over 350 items/people on it.

When I ask you all to help me pray, I can promise you that I am absolutely praying too.

My heart has been leading me to start another blog that focuses solely on rebuilding and strengthening your spirit. I started the other blog weeks ago, but I haven't got it "live" yet.

I am in the process of moving all of my inspirational posts over there.

When I post something there, I'll come here and let you know.

I have so many things I want to cover on that blog.

I'm calling it "Strengthen your Spirit", and it'll be a direct domain.

I will have resources, links to prayer groups, etc.

I get so many requests for prayer in email each week, and this is one way to start a public prayer chain for those in need. I hope you will give it a chance with me.

I'm not abandoning this blog, I'm just changing my focus.
When I have things that are unrelated to faith and prayer, I'll post it on this blog.
And I'll give sewing lessons when time allows.

About my etsy shops, I've decided to close all but one of my shops.
I will only be selling my aprons wholesale from now on to distributors.
(But if you want one, you can always email me.)

I will be closing my practical fun things shop, unless I can find a family memeber to take it over.

The one shop I haven't introduced you to yet will be the one that remains open.
I will tell you more about that when I'm ready to fully load the store.

About flea markets, I will only be doing 2 this season. After I've got all my things packed to move, I'll head to the Nashville Flea Market with all of the stuff I won't be taking with me. Instead of taking time to refinish all the wares in my garage, I'll instead be selling them unfinished for you to do yourself.
I'll let you know when I'll be there and what I'll have.

I've decided I can do with less that what I have now, and I can cope with not spreading myself too thin. And I'm fine with it. The days of trying to be all things to all people are over, and it's time to focus on putting the quality back in my life.

I want to be happy, I want my husband to be happy, and I want our family to remember who we are. We give them so very little time, and they deserve more from us. Times goes by so fast and we really regret missing out on so much.

My hectic work schedule will become leveled out in about another two weeks, and then hubby and I can start looking for a place to live together, and not trying to decifer what houses may or may not have based on the pics we find online and send to each other.
Once that happens, and we get settled into somewhere new, we'll be able to have a more normal life and schedule with no outside commitments.
I crave that day!

So there it is. That's where I am and where Im headed.
And I hope you will stick around to see what happens.
I've made many friends here and I hope to keep you all with me.
I know many of you share my faith and can understand why I feel the need to make these changes, and I thank you in advance.

Now, does anyone out there know of nice house for rent in Murfreesboro or LaVergne, TN?
I'd love the lead if you have one.

I hope you all have a super-duper fantastic day!

Just a Note

I miss all of you. I miss visiting you and I miss your visits to my blog. Every time I post, I eagerly await your comments so I can start "talking" to all my friends in email.

I simply can't believe how fast time goes by.

Right now, I feel like I'm all alone out here in a big field, shouting, but no one can hear me.

I'm lonely - I need the voices of my friends.

Every day I think I'm going to be able to sit down and do a blog post and fill you guys in on my life..................and every night I get back to my hotel room and crash straight into bed.

You see, I started a new job. I didn't want to say anything until the dotted line was signed.

I've been out of town doing my training. I'm learning to be back on my feet again - literally - all day long.

I can tell you without a doubt that I miss my afternoon naps in the worst way possible.
I'm squeezing a 6 week training course into 3 weeks so that I can get moved into my final place as soon as possible.

What am I doing? Well, I think it just may be a dream job for many of us with fabric type obsessions. I'm managing a fabric store! Woohoo!
I'll give you more details on that once I get settled into my final destination.
Yes, I did it. I gave up self employment and went to work for a company.
A stable company, getting a steady paycheck, and real benefits.
(although I don't think they've caught on to how beneficial an afternoon siesta can be yet!)
Hey, when a company like that calls you wanting to know if you'd be interested in coming to work for them, you jump on it. Know what I mean? Sure you do.

Anyway, I will not be back home until the 20th, so I won't be able to give you a full blog before then on any of my projects, but, I'll clue you in to what lies ahead.

First up will be my new Bird in a Frame wall art.

After that....guess what? I got my master bedroom finished so I'll be doing a full reveal.

Then I'll move on to the dining room changes.
Wait till you hear why my normal table is missing. I meant to tell you all about it back at Thanksgiving but I forgot. It's funny.

Finally, I'll tell you all about my visit with this wonderful family. And I mean wonderful!

So, that's where I've been and what I'm up to, and what I've got coming up in the near future.

What have you been up to?

This is what Christmastime means to me..........

Jan 1, 2011: I'm Linking this to
 The Lettered Cottage's A few of My Favorites: Blog Posts 2010

(This is a repost from last year, but since I was very new at that time, I'm posting it again for the holidays.)
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In the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it seems it's ever so easy to lose site of the true reason for the season. The reason there is a Christmas at all. I was going to talk about how frustrated I am that Christmas has become more of a commercial holiday than a spiritual one, how it seems to have become all about getting everybody what they've asked for, and less about why we celebrate the holiday to start with, how when I talk about it I must be politically correct in my choice of words in hopes that I do not offend anyone. But, I won't go into that today.
Today, I want to tell you what Christmas means to me, and my euphoric fantasies of how I hope that one day - some day, any day - that our hearts will finally become satisfied in merely giving value to the understanding of the miracle that is the purpose behind such a special day.

I have had many miracles in my life, and I am so very thankful. I believe in God and I am not afraid to admit it or wear it on my sleeve. He reveals himself to me in my everyday life on so many occasions. His miracles are distributed daily, but many people only recognize them during the Christmas season, because that is when they've been taught to ask for them or look for them. Me? I guess I'm one of the lucky ones because I am able to recognize his movement in my life regularly.

Christmas for me? It's not about gift giving, it's not about the parties, it's not entirely about family. For me, it's about the miracle of Christ, and what he means in my life. It's about a feeling and an appreciation, not about 'things'. It's about knowing that when I miss someone I've lost, that God will let me feel them with me, or send me a memory. It's about knowing that when someone is hurting or in need, that God will give me the ability to extend a hand of provision to that person. It's about knowing that when I myself am in need, that He will make a way. It's about believing that when you pray, there is someone listening, and caring, about even the smallest of things. It's about being able to recognize that you CAN and DO make a difference in other people's lives. It's about knowing that when I ask for a blessing in someone's life, having the assurance that it will be given. It's about the giddiness I feel when I can give to someone without their knowing it. And it's about knowing that God cares enough about me to put people in my path that enrich my life and cause me to be a better person.

I would much rather give than receive during this time, or any time for that matter. I've been blessed in my life, and I've also been broken. I've discovered that it doesn't matter where you are in your life, you still have the ability to be a blessing in someone else's. There have been many times in my own life when I've felt the push to do something for the benefit of someone else that I may not even know. All I know is that doing good makes me feel good. I believe that God has put people in my path to test my willingness to be a servant. I can only hope that I have done what was expected of me.

Let me tell you of what I think are a few of these instances where I was being tested.

One time, me and a friend were driving in downtown Denver. On the sidewalk there was a large man with an oxygen tank who had a handmade sign strapped to the front and back of his body. The sign said "My wife and I are disabled and desperate to keep our home. We need $386 tomorrow or we will have to move into a shelter. Please, can you help?" We sat there at the light, both reading this man's sign.

 Now let me tell you, in a big city like Denver there is someone on every corner asking for money. I usually avoid them, and so does my friend, but for some reason we both felt like we HAD to help this man. As the light turned, I pulled all of the bills out of my wallet, gave them to my friend and told her to run and give him whatever I had. She grabbed her purse and jumped out of the car while I pulled up to park along the street and wait for her. In my mirror, I could see her getting money from her own purse, and they were talking and he hugged her.She ran back to get in the car. She said "Polly, you're not going to believe this. Guess how much we had between us? $400!".

Did it hurt to give away that much money? Sure, but only for a little while. Turns out he had to use what money he had for a new medicine for his wife and wasn't able to pay his rent.

I thought about that man and prayed for his family several times through the night.That wasn't MY miracle, it was the man's on the street, but God used us an instrument to make his miracle happen.

The next day, I closed one of the biggest jobs of my career, one that I thought had gone by the wayside many months back. Who do you think orchestrated that?

Another time was very similar. I was at an intersection and there was an amputee in a wheelchair with a sign that said "Hungry and broke. Please help." I thought I'd test him to see if he'd really accept the food without asking for money. I had just come from a drive thru and still had not opened the bag. As I pulled up to him, I rolled down my window and told him I had a hamburger combo if he wanted it. He said he hadn't eaten since the day before and he'd love it. I handed him the bag and the coke and drove away.

As I got to the next red light, I saw him in my rear view mirror raising his hands in the air and bouncing in his wheelchair like he was signing praises to someone. I thought, boy, he must have really been hungry.

A while later, I was at a store in the line to pay for my purchases. I went to get my cash, and then I realized it...........I had given a $100 bill at the drive-thru so I could get change, and they put my change in the bag! The bag that I had not opened before I so willing gave away my food. No wonder that guy was so happy.

A few days later I saw that same guy somewhere else. I rolled down my window to say something, and before I could, he instantly recognized me and thanked me profusely. I could tell he was genuine in his appreciation, so I said nothing except to wish him a good day. I can only hope he used the money wisely.

Yet another time, someone very close to me was struggling at Christmastime, and she couldn't afford to buy anything for anybody, even cards. I wanted to help her but she wouldn't accept it. After praying for some relief for her, all of a sudden I just knew what to do. My husband and I ran all over town buying up gifts cards for various places, and several of those food type gift sets that are in all the stores this time of year, and a gift sets of pretty cards. We bought a wicker laundry basket and loaded it up. We shrink wrapped it, wrapped a bow around it and plotted our delivery.

We parked down the road from her house late at night and waited for all of the lights to go out. Once everything was dark, I sneeked up in the yard and placed the basket on the door. I put an ornament in the basket that opens up, and I requested that in trade for the basket, I wanted her and her son to each write on a slip of paper something they were thankful for that year and place it in the ornament. I typed out a note explaining to her that they should open that ornament each year and read their previous entires, and add to them.

She immediately called me the next morning to tell me she could not accept the basket. I played dumb and swore I had no idea what she was talking about. I asked her to tell me about it and what was in it. She started to tell me and I pretended to get excited about it. She asked who I thought might have done it and I told her that if God had put it in someone's heart to help her out, she shouldn't question his choices, and should just make good use of what he prompted someone to give her.

Turns out, she used the gift cards to purchase things for other people for gifts, she gave away a few of the food sets, and saved the popcorn and cocoa sets to share with her son while they watched Christmas movies at night.

She often talked about that Christmas and how it was the best one she ever had, and that it proved to her that God indeed answered prayers. For several years, she would share with me all of the things she and her son had written on their paper slips and put in their ornament. She never knew who gave her that basket, and never questioned it again. She has passed on now, and I feel sure she smiled down on me when she realized it on the other side.

I could tell you stories like this for days, but I'll share one last one with you before I end this post.

I was fairly new to a certain church years ago, and had only barely gotten to know some of it's members. There was one in particular that I had grown fond of, whose signing stirred something in my soul that was unfamiliar to me. You could feel the power of his words and his voice in everything he sang.

There was one time I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about him. I felt like I needed to get out of bed, get down on my knees and pray for him. So I did. The next night, the same thing happened.

The following morning I felt as if I needed to call him and tell him what had been happening, and the specifics of what had been put in my heart. It was the strongest urge I've ever had to act on something that was eating at me. I kept telling God, "I feel like you want me to tell this person what you're sharing with me, but there's no way I can go to someone I barely know and say these things." I felt as long as I let God know I couldn't do it, he'd call on somebody else. For those of you who know how God works, you already know this didn't fly very far at all.

The third night, this happened to me again. And the fourth night. Finally I told God that if I woke up with it baring down on me again, that I would call this person, tell them what was happening,, and make myself look entirely foolish.

The next day, I still couldn't shake it. I finally realized that, whether this was from God or not, it wasn't going away until I talked to this person. So, I got out the phone book, looked up his number and dialed. "Hello so and so, I'm sure you don't know me, but I have something I feel like I need to tell you." I already sounded half out of my mind, and I was sure he wasn't impressed. To my surprise he was very receptive and listened to every word I said as I babbled about what had been happening to me in the middle of the night.

After a bit of crying on both our parts, he said it was time for me to listen to what he had to say.

He began to tell me how for 4 nights he had been on his knees praying for some answers from God, and wondering why he wasn't feeling what God wanted from him. He said he was begging for clear answers.

I knew right then and there that if you feel a strong urge to intervene in someone's else's life, that it's most likely God's urging. I also realized that my stubborness to oblige held up the answers God was trying to give this man. I learned a hard lesson about being a faithful steward that day, and made a great friend in return.

I had no idea what was going on in this man's life, and certainly didn't feel like I should be telling him the things I did, but when I finally got up the nerve to go to him, he helped me to see how God works in one person's life to affect another.

There have been numerous times that I've walked past someone and felt the need to go back and say something to them, and I have. It has always been recieved well, almost as if they were expecting it, and perhaps they were. I don't question it anymore.

Many times I've felt something tell me to give someone a $10 bill, or pay for their meal, or tell them I didn't know what was going on in their life, but I wanted them to know that I would pray for them.

 Everytime we donate coats in the winter, there's that little voice telling us to stick a little money in the pocket.

I once even felt like I was supposed to hug someone I didn't know and had never seen before. This was a scary one, but I actually did it. The woman asked me why I did it and I told her I just felt like I was supposed to. She started crying and told me a few things that had been going on in her life, and said "I just told God I only wanted someone to care. I guess you're that someone. Wow, God really does listen."

I'm sure that made her day as much as it made mine.

I've always believed that you never know when you're entertaining angels or when God is testing the person he made in us. I try to do good, and be good to others as much as I can. It doesn't require any effort to be nice to someone. Are you mindful of what you say to others, how you treat them? You truly never know what's going on in another person's life, and how what you say or how you treat them can affect their day or their confidence. Let's all try to be better servants, regardless of who we serve. Let's all try to make a difference in someone's day or someone's life. Let's do it, not just say it. Tell someone why you care for them, not just that you do. Tell them what makes them special, not just that they are. Offer to help whenever you can, and mean it.

Teach your children to compliment others and say nice things to them. Teach them that what you say DOES have an impact on people's lives. Teach them that just because another child doesn't have all the things they might have, it doesn't make them any different inside. Teach them to have basic respect for other people. Teach them that life isn't all about what you have and how much you accumulate, but more importantly about what kind of person you are and what you do with what you've been given.

God's word says that "To whom much is given, much is expected". That means something whether you believe in God or not. Do good things and surround yourself with good people and the rest will fall into place. I truly believe that. I believe you draw to you what you are. If you're a negative person, then you'll continue to draw negativity into your life. And, if you're positive, positive things will follow you.

Choose to be postive. Choose to create positive little ones that will grow up and be positive adults. Let's all do our part to make this world turn back on it's positive side.

I'll be back in a few days to tell you about a few miracles in my life. I thought I would discuss it today, but I had no idea this post would take on a life of it's own, and I feel it is more than long enough to suffice for a few days. Miracles deserve a post all their own.

May you feel the love of the season in your heart and share it with others!

And so it goes..........

In answer to all of your emails, YES, I AM still alive.

Thank you for caring enough to check in on me. I appreciate all of you more than you know.

I've been extremely busy and just haven't had much time to check in on my own blog, or on yours either for that matter.

I try, really I do, but it seems when I sit down at night to catch up, I fall asleep with my computer in my lap after about 15 minutes.

Yep, I've been that tired. Both mentally and physically.

I would promise you I'll try to post more often, but the reality is that I never know what my time will allow, therefore I won't make any promises.

I'll just say that I'll post whenever I can, and I hope you will still hang in there with me.


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For those of you that follow my blog, you know that I/we have been going through a lot of life changes this year.
I sold my business in Colorado, moved 1300 miles across the country with no plan of what to do once we got here, my hubby and I have had a few health issues, and now, he has to have a complete hip replacement in 2 weeks. A knee replacement will follow that in February or March.
In addition, I've gotten into a few work situations that did not turn out to be the way they were presented to me, which has been a great disappointment.

My store? Well...........without going into details, let's just say it was another one of those things.
In order to make a partnership work, you have to do what you say you're going to do. Good intentions are nothing without actions to support them. I did my part, and I'll leave it at that.
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So..................what to do now, huh? I ask myself this everyday.
We're in a state of limbo, and we're trying to decide what to do next.
Thank goodness my hubby landed a decent job soon after moving here, but make no mistake,
the loss of my steady income is forcing us to live between the forceps.
We aren't doing without by any means, we're just learning to live with less.

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The funny thing is, the less we have, the freer we feel, which has led us to the decision to downsize our home.
We're ready for a smaller house, less yard, no extra storage filled with stuff we never use.
I want a simple little farmhouse somewhere in the country.
I want to decorate all the rooms just the way I invision them, and then sell everything else that doesn't fit inside the house.
I'm tired of the baggage. Tired. Finito. Completo. Burned out. Done.

I want to live here. I think I'd be very happy in this house. :)

(Can someone please find me a house like this?)

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Do you find that as you get older, you want less, not more?
I crave a simpler life.
I crave it so bad I can imagine it into existence and pretend it's easy living there........

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 Please bear with me as I decide what our next move will be. I will be back to normal blogging as soon as life settles back down. I want to give you wonderful posts full of projects and ideas, and I will, but now just isn't the time for me to do that effectively. My attention is required elsewhere.
I'll be caring for hubby, packing up my house in preparation of our next move, and looking for that little farmhouse that will make my life complete. :)

I do have a few holiday posts prescheduled for you throughout the month though, so I won't be completely gone from sight.
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I have a strong desire to pretend I'm actually decorating for the holidays, but since I can't, please let me know in your comments if you've posted pictures of your holiday decor so that I go see your house.

Such is My Life

I'll be back soon, I promise.

I've been super busy and didn't realize it had been so long since I posted. Give me another day or so to get back to normal and I'll come back to tell you everything that's been going on.

I had several posts prescheduled, but as a few things have changed, I had to go back and remove them because they no longer applied.

Thanks for not giving up on me!

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I'll tell you about this table in an upcoming post.

Just wait till you see the stools that go with it!

(I know they're tucked in the corner of the picture, but you can't really see them........or can you? :))

An Update on My Whereabouts

Where oh where has Polly gone?

Here I am!

Geez, you'd think I got lost as long as I've been gone.

Thank you all for your patience while I get my life organized.

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Where do I start?

I'll just start from the beginning.

Nothing really earth shattering has been going on here, just life in general.

As we all know, even the best laid plans can run amuck sometimes.

So, here's part of what's been going on the past month.

1. Hubby had some medical issues (twice) and needed my full attention. Poor guy was absolutely miserable, and he wasn't getting any sleep. He's doing much better now but is still facing some surgery.

2. I got sick myself (after him, thank goodness). I had some kind of awful stomach thing going on that lasted 10 days. In bed for almost 5 of those. Serious pain kinda thing.
 And right before that started, I got another migraine.

Another situation of complete agony.
The migraines are bad enough without the excruciating pain that kept me doubled over for over a week.

3. During my time away from the blog, I did 2 markets.

For those of you who do them, you know how much work they require.

4. I had 3 drapery jobs that had to be fabricated and installed.

5. I had family stuff that needed tending to, which required me to be at my mom's on three separate ocassions. (About a 2 1/2 hour drive each way.) It's always hectic activity there, so blogging is out of the question.

.........and if that wasn't enough on my plate......

6.  I'm getting ready for a neighborhood yard sale tomorrow. 
(although the weather is calling for a 60% chance of rain)

If you're local to Bowling Green, KY, let me know in the comments and I'll send you the info.

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In addition to that, I have 2 more exciting things going on, but I can't let the cat out of the bag just yet.
Still some details to work out and some dotted lines to sign, but as soon they are done deals, you'll be the first to know.

If you follow me on FACEBOOK, you'll know even sooner than that.
I'll be back to regular blog posts on Monday. You know, the actual decorating kind.

AND, many of you asked me about when I'll be picking back up on The Home Decor Series.
I'm happy to say that I will be returning to that next week as well.
Those post take a really long time to plan out, so I had to put them aside for a while,
but I have several prescheduled already that will begin next week.

Ok, that's my update. I still have a busy weekend ahead of me, but I'll meet you back here on Monday!

What's been keeping you busy?

Back in a Few.....

I'm just getting back home from a hectic and rushed trip. Too many things to do, and too little time to get it done.

I'm sure you know the feeling.

....and I've been sick thru most of it. plgghh. Still sick. ugh. Like, sick in the bed kind of sick.

Migraine too, the don't show me the light kind, and please don't speak above a whisper kind.

(Calgon, take me away!)

Will someone please come and unload my car for me?

I just don't think I have the energy.

I have to force myself out of the bed because I have to do something big (to me) with a deadline, so I'll be away for a few more days.

Thank you for your patience.

I'll be sure to let you know what that is if it gets chosen.

(Please enjoy the scenery.)

I'll be back soon.

On a Little Sanity Break

.....or some would say "insanity" break.

If you knew what I was doing right now, I'm sure you'd think I was nuts, so I'll spare you the details.

Let's just say there are plenty of mold spores, dead mice, ticks, and multiple trips to the dump involved.

Nuff said? Yeah, I thought so.

(And now here's a pretty picture to get that image out of your head.)

I thought I should pop in and let you all know that I haven't forgotten about you. I'm taking care of some family business and it's taken me away from the comforts of home, ie, my blogging spot.

And definitely out of the reach of cell phone service.

I should return in about a week.

I've missed keeping up with you all this past week. I'm afraid to even look at my reader for fear of what the number of missed posts will be!

If I don't return, will someone please send a hasmat crew? Tell them to look beneath the pile of rubble at the edge of my mother's house?

(I love you mom, but, well....., you know. :) )

Love, by Emmet Fox

I have always loved this poem, and for some reason, I felt compelled to post it today.

Maybe it's for you.....

LOVE

by Emmet Fox

There is no difficulty that love will not conquer;

No disease that enough love will not heal;

No door that enough love will not open;

No gulf that enough love will not bridge;

No wall that enough love will not throw down;

No sin that enough love will not redeem......

(Photo from my previous garden)

It makes no difference how deeply seated may be the trouble,

How hopeless the outlook,

How muddled the tangle,

How great the mistake,

A sufficient realization of love will dissolve it all....

If only you could love enough,

you would be the happiest and most powerful being in the world....

Where There's a Will, There's a Way - Blackberries

I Love Blackberries!

I mean, I really luh -uh-uh-uhvvvvv blackberries!

Just ask my mama.    She'll tell ya.    In fact, she tells everybody.

When I was growing up, I remember on our farm that we had blackberries everywhere. They were behind the barn, in the fields around the house, and across the road behind the Christmas tree field.

Lots and lots of them.

YUMMY!

I also remember that we pitched a fit every time my mom made us go with her to pick them.

Ohhh, little do we know when we're young. :)

She'd make us suit up in long sleeves, and gloves, and pants tucked into boots or shoes.

You'd have thought we were the local extermination crew.

It was smothering hot and terribly uncomfortable.

But necessary so we didn't get pricked to death by the thorns or eaten alive by ticks.

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(However, to hear her tell it, we never helped her.

This is what she told my husband over the 4th.

 I tell her that her memory has escaped her, since I clearly remember doing it.

She also says we never helped to weed the gardens - and I KNOW I distinctly remember doing that!)

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My mom was a canning fanatic, and a great cook, which means we had blackberry jam, blackberry cobbler, blackberry lemonade, and frozen blackberries year round.

Fast forward many years.................

Eventually we stopped using the propery as a functioning farm, and also let the gardens go.

For some reason, after that, the blackberries didn't come as easily anymore.

There was a small patch of them that remained at the edge of the barn for a few years, but they're gone now too.

But my dear mommy would always remember to pick some while they were there and freeze them for me so I'd have some when I came to visit.

For those of you who have never eaten wild grown blackberries, you really don't know what you're missing. I encourage you to find a blackberry farm in your area and go pick some for yourself.

Store bought, preservative laden blackberries don't hold a candle to them.

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The last few times I've been home (before moving back), there were no more blackberries to be found. :(

But....(angel choir)..... enter a broken bushhog.....

You're probably asking yourself, 1, What is a bushhog, and 2, how does a broken bushhog give you blackberries?

Answer: 1. A bushhog, for those of you that do not farm, is a large mowing attachment that you hook to the back of a tractor to mow fields.

And 2.  When you can't mow the fields, things tend to grow up. :):)

So while we were sitting out by the pool at mom's on the 4th, she was talking to my hubby about not being able to mow the fields, pointing here and there, etc.

And then she said, pointing way over there, "There's blackberries all over that field but you can't get to them."

Uh, hello, did you forget who I am? The family blackberryaholic?

So naturally I started devising my plan to get to them.

My hubby said I'd never get to them, and my mom said "You wanna bet? She'll find a way!"

Off I went, to see what I was up against.

(Mind you, this is a large field. I tried to point my camera to get a close shot.)

Roxanne, one of the dogs, went trapsing through the field ahead of me, so she knocked down somewhat of a path for me. Love that dog. (Tell her she's pretty and she's your best friend.)

Come closer.......(thanks Roxanne)

I gotta have them!

Like I said, where there's a will, there's a way.

I had the will, now I had to find the way.

Enter these lovelies.....

eenie, meenie, miny, moe......which one of you wanna go? :)

After all, I only need a path, right? I just had to mow down a flat space around the berry bushes and I could pick all I want.

I conned talked my nephew into going with me. Somebody had to hold the bowls.

Ahhhhh.

Grab those bowls kid - we're going in!

Even the dogs are excited!

Lookie what I see: (I'm so giddy at this point, seriously.)

There were plenty that were ripe for picking, and I got every one I could reach.

See how many red ones there still are?

You know what means don't you?

They will be ready to pick next week when I go back!

Oh Happy day!

So after a little bit of work I was able to have my berries!

These were so sweet already that I didn't need any sugar at all. Very unusual, and a pleasant surprise.

I can't wait to get back. There will be so many more ready then than there was last week. I'm so excited!!

There will be cobblers and blackberry lemonade, and blackberries on cereal, and blackberries as a refreshing treat............

Next week I'll give you my recipe for blackberry lemonade!

Lip smacking yummy, I tell ya.

What has you excited this summer?

 

The Bathroom Chronicles -or Wallpaper Whining

Ugh!    Yuck !    Pew!    Ack!

That's all I've got to say about that!

That being wallpaper removal.

And not just any wallpaper, but this lovely stuff.

I've been slowly, and I mean slooowwwly, trying my best to remove the ohsobeautiful wallpaper I inherited here in the rooms I inhabit.

(There are 5 rooms I'm currently removing the paper from, by the way. I'll be having a pity party fairly soon, and you'll all be invited.)

Seriously, was this pattern ever popular?

Well, it's not for me, that's all I can say.

Anyhoo, I have grand plans for this bathroom.

Can I just tell you - I HATE removing wallpaper.

And I also hate it when builders feel it isn't necessary to prime the walls before putting the paper up.

You know what happens when the walls aren't prepped properly, don't you?

That's right - you must resign yourself to the fact that drywall patching will be in your very near future.

&*!*#^$$**$!#*%$(!!

(Sorry, but I had to get that out of my system before I could move on!)

So, today I've been ripping that wallpaper out.

And before you think I've got so far in one day, let me clarify by saying that it's taken me weeks to get to this point.

I thought I'd just leave it until I had time to do it all at once, but I'm sure you'll understand when I tell you that I just couldn't make myself keep looking at that every day.

So what did I do? I tore off the top layer (thank the lord it was strippable), and I stared at the yellow backing for several more weeks!

I thought that since every time I went in that bathroom, I was doing this.............. ripping off bits of paper a little at a time......

That I may as well take the rest of it off. So I did.

And now I'm removing all of that yellow liner.

I've torn some degree of wallpaper out of all 5 of the rooms just to see how much trouble it was going to be. I can assure you that in this room in particualr, the wallpaper hanger used at least 15 extra gallons of glue. I know this for a fact because I am currently stuck to the wall.

So just to show you that I am really working hard today, I've gone from this:

To this:

And now I must peel myself off the wall and get back to the other side of the bathroom:

I'm gettin' there....

(do not adujt your color -that is the ugly yellow backing paper soaked in stripper)

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TIP: Now, for those of you with wallpaper stripping in your future, here's a great homemade solution I discovered purely out of frustration. I tried EVERY solution I found in the stores and on the internet. Nothing seemed to be the right thing for these walls, so I came up with my own remedy that seems to be working great to remove all that glue gunk.

(If you've already removed some paper and still have glue buil-up in the wall, this also works for that.)

Mixture:

1 gallon of water

1 teaspoon of Dawn dish detergent

1/4 cup of Goo Gone (or any brand of adhesive remover)

A Chemical Sprayer

Be sure to mix with warm water. It'll help to pull the glue off the walls better.

You can get a chemical sprayer at Walmart or Big Lots for about $10, and it's well worth it.

Put it in a gallon jug and shake it well.

Then pour that into the sprayer.

Turn off the breaker to the room, cover your switches and outlets, and then spray the walls really good.

IMPORTANT:

Let it sit and work for about 15-20 minutes so that it has time to loosen the glue from the wall.

If it has dried when you are ready to remove it, simply spray it again with a light coat of the mixture.

Scrape the paper off with a flat blade or an old credit card.

*Score the top layer first so that the solution can get below the top surface.

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Well, it's back to work for me!

What easy solutions have you come up with to remove wallpaper?